The Return of Badr Hari: A Look at Badr vs. Ruslan Karaev, 2009 WGP Semi-Finals Featured

We've been taking a look at the fights and moments that led to Badr Hari's meltdown in 2010 and his subsequent return after a year out of action. 2008 was a rough year for Badr Hari, as he was disqualified in the K-1 World Grand Prix Finals during the final round where he stomped Remy Bonjasky when he was down. Then on New Year's Eve Badr Hari walked into a bout with Alistair Overeem who, at the time, had not competed in a professional kickboxing bout in years. Badr Hari was clearly the favorite going into the bout, as Overeem's Heavyweight MMA career was just gaining steam.

It was a shock when Badr Hari was handed his second loss in a row to a fighter like Overeem who many believed would be destroyed by Badr Hari. Hari had not seen two losses in a row since he was 21 years old in 2006. That is what many people need to keep in mind about Hari, he is still very young, a mere 26. Those two losses back-to-back in 2006 were to Peter Graham and another young up-and-comer, Ruslan Karaev. Badr went on to avenge both of those losses, but the rematch with Karaev is one of the most dramatic, entertaining fights in K-1's recent history.

Karaev is a dangerous fighter with great counterpunching and the skills to hurt Badr Hari, so when they were matched up again in 2009 many were expecting another war. For Badr Hari he did not go into the bout with Karaev looking to end quickly to conserve his energy for later fights in the tournament. For Badr Hari, he must prove his mental resolve to overcome an opponent who has beaten him in the past without getting frustrated and making a mistake.

Dave Walsh has been covering MMA and Kickboxing since 2007 before changing his focus solely to Kickboxing in 2009, launching what was the only English-language site dedicated to giving Kickboxing similar coverage to what MMA receives. He was the co-founder of HeadKickLegend and now LiverKick. He resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he works as a writer of all trades.

His second novel, Terminus Cycle, is available now via Kindle and Paperback.